Visit Lumbini Year targets 500k Buddhist pilgrims

Visit Lumbini Year 2012 (VLY 2012) aims to attract 500,000 Buddhist devotees from around the world to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha in southern Nepal.


Acharya Karma Sangbo Sherpa, vice-chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust and joint coordinator of the national secretariat of VLY 2012, said the national campaign aims to bring one million visitors to Lumbini, half of them domestic and half of them foreign pilgrims. President Ram Baran Yadav is scheduled to inaugurate the campaign at the Central Canal at 2 pm on Jan 14.


Last year, Lumbini received more than 500,000 visitors among whom were 129,000 foreign passport holders. Foreign arrivals recorded a 29 percent growth year on year. Lumbini hosted 82,445 tourists in 2009, 82,075 in 2008 and 71,053 in 2007.


The VLY 2012 national secretariat includes Minister for Culture Gopal Kiranti as a co-coordinator while secretaries from the ministries of Culture, Tourism, Home and Foreign Affairs are members representing the government. Suraj Vaidya, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), is leading the private sector.


The Nepal Tourism Year 2011 implementation committee and the Nepal Tourism Board are the implementing agencies of the campaign. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai formally announced VLY 2012 from the birthplace of Gautam Buddha on Dec 1, 2011. The cabinet declared 2012 as VLY on Oct 17, 2011 for the promotion and development of the Lumbini area.


“The objective of the campaign is to invite the world to work towards creating a peaceful society through the Buddha’s peace message while the campaign also aims to publicize to the world that Buddha was born in Nepal,” Sherpa said.


In a bid to attract Buddhist pilgrims from around the world, the secretariat has formed a sub-committee in South Korea where it will initiate a “one house, one image of Buddha” campaign, according to him. “We are planning to form such sub-committees in the US and Canada, among other countries,” he added.


China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, India, South Korea and Taiwan have large Buddhist populations.


On the national front, the secretariat plans to place 108 milestones on highways from the Mechi to the Mahakali and other entry points to show the way to Lumbini. Similarly, welcome boards have been planned at Tribhuvan International Airport, Bhairahawa, Solukhumbu and Pokhara, among other tourism spots.


The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) has allocated a budget of over Rs 5 million for the inauguration. The international promotion budget planned for NTY through consumer publicity programmes in China and India that could not take place in 2011 has been reallocated to the VLY campaign.


“After the completion of NTY, we have started VLY to continue and give mileage to the country’s tourism,” said MoTCA secretary Ganesh Raj Joshi. According to him, the government will officially conclude NTY announcing VLY in Lumbini. The government will also launch Vision 20, a tourism perspective plan during the inauguration.


“Lumbini has high influence on both domestic and international communities and Nepal should take advantage by linking religion with the country’s development,” Joshi added.


Considering the infrastructure, according to Sherpa, there are 24 high, middle and budget class hotels in Bhairahawa while four-five new hotels are to be opened soon. The trend of building hotels with modern facilities has intensified in Lumbini encouraged by an increase in arrivals.


“The government’s idea to announce VLY is very good, but it has happened without adequate preparation,” said Bikrum Pandey, managing director of Himalaya Expeditions which also runs Buddhist Circuits.com.


Although, Lumbini has a number of hotels developed within the last few years, it lacks air connectivity, transportation and international marketing.


It is estimated that business for the Buddhist circuit was about 400,000 tourists. Pandey added that the length of stay was nine to 10 days and daily spending amounted to US$ 150-250. “To grab the attention of the world’s Buddhist community, we are organising the Shakyamuni Buddha Lumbini Peace Marathon on Dec 5 in association with the Thai Embassy in Nepal,” Pandey added. According to Pandey, a 2,000 km long Buddhist circuit starts from Lumbini and passes through Kapilvastu, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda and Patna before returning to Lumbini.
(Source:ekantipur)

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Nepali girls confined by stigma and superstition

DEC 22 -  

Saraswati Biswokarma sits in the dark, rearranging the threadbare cotton sheet and straw bed she is forced to sleep on before bringing her knees up to her chest with a shiver.

It is already mid-morning but she has not been allowed out of the airless brick shed where she has spent every night for the past week.

The 13-year-old was effectively banished to the shed -- barely big enough to stand or lie down in -- where she must experience her first period alone in a traumatic ordeal.

"I've been here eight nights so I have one left," she says with a nervous smile. "It's not nice here, it's scary and I felt very alone on the first night. I was so scared."

Saraswati's isolation is part of a centuries-old Hindu ritual known as chhaupadi that has been blamed for prolonged depression and even deaths in remote, impoverished western Nepal.

Under the practice, women are prohibited from participating in normal family activities during menstruation and after childbirth, and can have no contact with men of the household.

"I'm not allowed to touch any cattle or go inside our house. I have to stay in the shed and when my mother calls I have to wait nearby the house with a plate so she can give me food," Saraswati says.

She is also barred from consuming dairy products or meat or taking a bath. Even looking in the mirror is frowned upon.

The practice stems from the belief that when women have periods they are impure and will bring bad luck on a whole family if they stay in the house and will contaminate anything they touch.

In 2005, the government, in line with a Supreme Court order, enacted a law abolishing chhaupadi but enforcement has been minimal or non-existent.

Saraswati's shelter, known as a chhaupadi goth, looks like a miniature cow shed, with a dirt floor and no windows or running water.

In January last year, two women were found dead in chhaupadi goths in the remote district of Achham after temperatures dropped to 30F (-1C). In another case, a 15-year-old died of diarrhoea contracted while sleeping in a shed.

Chandrakala Nepali, 17, is preparing for her fifth night in her goth.

Her parents went to Mumbai to find work two years ago, leaving her and four younger siblings to live with relatives in a house high up in the hills an hour's walk from Mangalsen, the main town in Achham.

"During the day I'm allowed out but only to work in the jungle, collecting firewood," she says, sweeping the dark, cold hut, which is barely big enough to lie down in.

"I'm not allowed to walk on the same road as the cattle and I'm not allowed to be with my family for seven days. To eat, I sit outside the house and they bring me food on a plate.

"When I'm alone in the shed I feel scared. There are insects and I'm afraid of snakes coming in."

Chandrakala says that if she has daughters she would never force chhaupadi on them.

But few women are prepared to challenge the status quo, and many continue the ritual for fear of community disapproval or out of religious belief.

Pashupati Kuwar, 30, lives with her five children in Budhakot, a small hamlet high in the hills.

Her husband is away, working in the Indian city of Pune, while her in-laws died several years ago, but Kuwar still observes chhaupadi.

"I don't touch any cattle for five days. I sleep on straw. Most of the day I go out but I go back to the shed to sleep," she said.

Pashupati says she will make her six- and 13-year-old daughters take part in the ritual.

"Some people think it's wrong but if I didn't do this my god would be angry."

Pashupati's own mother, Kunta Rawal, 45, has turned her back on chhaupadi.

"Before I thought it was important because of what I was told by elders and society but I have been made to realise that it is wrong," she says.

Nepal's education ministry is hoping to establish a literacy drive in the region, including health education classes dedicated exclusively to reproductive health and menstrual hygiene.

Thanks to campaigns by humanitarian organisations like UNICEF, the sites of confinement are beginning to improve, with women often allowed in separate rooms in the main house rather than banished outside.

Janaki Bohara, 40, president of the Bahagyaswor Paralegal Committee, a women's advocacy group supported by UNICEF, says she will refuse to allow her 14-year-old daughter to take part in the ritual.

"If I see families doing this to their daughters I will say to them 'look at me -- I have nothing to do with chhaupadi but nothing has happened to me'. I'm ready to go to villages and fight people about this issue."

Meanwhile Saraswati's 18-year-old aunt, Radhika Biswokarma, is a rare example of a chhaupadi rebel.

"After the first time I stayed in the chhaupadi goth I decided from then on I would not do it again," she said. "Society said to me 'your god will be angry' but I don't care."

(source : ekantipur)

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National strike over prison death shuts down Nepal

DEC 22 :

Scores of riot police patrolled the streets of the capital Kathmandu on Sunday.

A national strike in Nepal over the death in prison of a youth leader has brought life to a standstill.


Schools and colleges, shops and businesses are closed and roads are deserted.


It was called by the main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, after a local leader was reportedly attacked while in prison in southern Nepal.


Analysts say the disruption will further delay efforts to draft a long-awaited new constitution.


But the strike has been mostly peaceful, although some protesters attacked a few vehicles in Kathmandu and a few other parts of the country, a police spokesman told the Associated Press news agency.


Police detained at least 16 protesters in Kathmandu, he said.


Nepal's civil war ended in 2006 after ten years of fighting between Maoist rebels and government forces, during which more than 13,000 lives were lost.


Last month political parties agreed on a deal that would allow the integration of thousands of former Maoist rebels into the army.
(source : ekantipur)

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Visit Lumbini 2012

       Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai formally announced the much-talked-about Visit Lumbini Year 2012 (VLY-2012) from the birthplace of Gautam Buddha on Thursday, inviting the world to work towards creating a peaceful society through Buddha’s peace message.


“I formally declare the year 2012 as Visit Lumbini Year so as to make the birthplace of Buddha a centre of global attraction,” said the prime minister at a programme here. Lumbini is one of the country’s 10 sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site List.


Bhattarai said Buddha fought against starvation, terrorism, hatred, wars and intolerance, and insisted that country is heading towards ensuring perennial peace, ending the impact of past conflicts.
Buddha’s discourses have high influence on both domestic and international communities and that Nepal should take its advantage by linking religion with the country’s development.


He committed that a number of plans have been devised to make Lumbini, the centre of global attraction. In the first phase, the government will design a master plan for the development of Lumbini and then a circuit will be developed to connect all the holy places related to Buddha.


The Cabinet on October 17 had declared 2012 as Visit Lumbini Year (VLY) for the promotion and development of the Lumbini area. It had also formed a six-member national committee led by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal for the development of the Greater Lumbini Area.


The committee includes Forest Minister Wakil Musalman, Nepali Congress Lawmaker Minendra Rijal and UML Lawmaker Mangal Siddhi Manandhar. The committee has also been mandated for preparing a master plan for the development of Lumbini.
A team led by Dahal visited New York, USA, recently to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The Nepali team urged Ban to coordinate international efforts to develop the Buddha’s birth place.


Maoist Chairman Dahal is also one of the joint chairmen of Hong Kong-based Non Governmental Organisation—Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (APEC)—which was said to have pledged to spend $ 3 billion for the development of Lumbini.


The government plans to nominate Nepali singer and nun Aani Chhoying Dolma, Chinese actor Jackie Chan, Indian superstar Shahrukh Khan and Indian actress Rekha as Peace Ambassadors for the VLY 2012.


According to the Bhairahawa immigration office, 98,431 visitors (excluding Indian) entered Nepal to visit Lumbini in the first 10 months of 2011. According to the government statistics, 99,508 tourists (excluding Indians) visited Lumbini in 2010. 


(Source:ekantipur)

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NAC aircraft deal in December

     The umbrella agreement between Nepal and China that has been planned in December will finally approve the purchase of turbo powered aircraft Modern Ark 60 (MA-60) and Y-12 for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC).
“During the visit of Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao in December the country is entering into an umbrella agreement that will pave way for the purchase of MA-60 and Y-12 aircrafts,” said executive chairman of the corporation Manrup Shahi.
The corporation has been planning to purchase ninteen-seater Y-12 and 56-seater MA-60 and has also sent a technical team to China to study its technical aspect and viability.
But the meeting between the two higher level leaders of the two countries will also finalise whether Nepal is purchasing the aircraft on grant or soft loan facility, Shahi, said, adding that the technical report has recommended the purchase of five Y-12 and three MA-60 aircraft, with either half on grant on on Soft loan facility.
The number of aircraft will also depend on the production capacity of the company. The technical team has submitted its report on Friday.
After the high level discussion, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and Civil Aviation Authority of China also will discuss on the technical rules and regulation for the flight operation.
“Both of the aircraft MA-60 and Y-12 are well built with European and American parts and Canadian engine which are well known for quality performance,” said NA technical representative Ganesh Thakur. “MA-60 is a certified aircraft of Civil Aviation Authority of China and can be used for flight operation in Nepal too.”
It is a turboprop-powered airliner made by China’s Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation under the China Aviation Industry Corporation I. “The same company which manufactures the MA-60 is also the manufacturer of different parts of Airbus, Boeing and ATR which is used worldwide,” he added.


Investigation on progress


KATHMANDU: Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) said that it is investigating the theft and misplacement of aircraft equipments and essential parts. According to the ailing national flag carrier, it has formed an investigation committee that will submit its report after the completion of investigation. The corporation has already claimed compensation from Airport Customs for the missing landing gears. “Similarly, after the investigation report comes of the missing tyre and fly away kits, the corporation will take necessary action,” it said. 


(Source:THT)

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Nepal has improved itself in HDI

Source : ktm2day.com


Nepal has improved itself in Human Development Index (HDI), according to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Its HDI stands at 0.458, which gives the country a rank of 157 out of 187 countries with comparable data, said the report published today globally.
However, Nepal still ranks in the Low Human Development group among the four — Very High Human Development, High Human Development, Medium Human Development and Low Human Development — groups.
“The HDI of South Asia as a region increased from 0.356 in 1980 to 0.548 at present, placing Nepal below the regional average, the annual flagship publication of the UNDP said, adding that the HDI trends tell an important story both at the national and regional level and highlight the very large gaps in well-being and life chances that continue to divide the interconnected world.
The HDI measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development — a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
Data availability determines HDI country coverage. To enable cross-country comparisons, the HDI is, to the extent possible, calculated based on data from leading international data agencies and other credible data sources available at the time of writing.
Each year since 1990, the UNDP has been publishing the Human Development Index (HDI), which was introduced as an alternative to conventional measures of national development like level of income and the rate of economic growth.
The index represents a push for a broader definition of well-being and provides a composite measure of three basic dimensions of human development including health, education and income.
By 2050, in an ‘environmental challenge’ scenario factoring in the effects of global warming on food production and pollution, the average HDI would be 12 per cent lower in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa than would otherwise be the case, the report estimated, adding that bold global action is urgently required for sustainable development, but local initiatives to support poor communities can be both highly cost-effective and environmentally beneficial.
It has also called for a currency transaction tax to help the world’s poorest countries deal with the effects of climate change. “In updated analysis prepared for this report, the North-South Institute estimates that a tax of 0.005 per cent would yield around $40 billion a year,” the annual Report, said, adding that the revenue potential is thus huge.
Half of the malnutrition cases in the world arise from environmental factors, according to the UNDP.
High living standards need not be carbon-fuelled and follow the examples of the richest countries, says the Report, presenting evidence that while CO2 emissions have been closely linked with national income growth in recent decades, fossil-fuel consumption does not correspond with other key measures of human development. “Growth driven by fossil fuel consumption is not a prerequisite for a better life in broader human development terms,” it said, adding that investments that improve equity—in access, for example, to renewable energy, water and sanitation, and reproductive healthcare — could advance both sustainability and human development.
The Report has also called for electricity service to be provided to the 1.5 billion people who are now off the power grid. It can be done both affordably and sustainably, without a significant rise in carbon emissions.
Overall, this year’s annual human development ranking showed progress made in the quality of life. However, when adjusted against inequalities among the population, there was an overall drop of 23 per cent in the quality of living this year.
Norway, Australia, the Netherlands led this year’s overall index, while the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger and Burundi came in at the bottom. However, when adjusted for inequalities, some countries fell off their top rankings.

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Drug Store : Contaminated Injection Bottle :-O

  Ganesh Shanker Pharma based in Maha Boudha, Kathmandu has been caught by an official of Drug Department Administration. As shown in the above picture,  the injection bottle was found contaminated by moss and different other particles. It is also found out that he sold it to a patient attending treatment in Bir Hospital.


- Original post in ekantipur.com

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Launching Party : AlchiLagyo.COM

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Water Induced Disaster in Nepal

   Nepalese people are fully dependent on nature and natural resources for their livelihood, such as food, fodder, fuel, and also the per capita land resources is much more as compared to developed countries. But the per capita income of the country is very low. So, due to various reasons, Nepal is not in easy position to import heavy amount of alternative energy as developed, which could substitute the present demand of total energy. This eventually put natural resources and forest on heavy risk and induced various disasters. At present the rate of consumption of energy is 1379121 MWH. Therefore, direct visible perception of water-induced disaster in Nepal are due to heavy destruction of forest, construction of roads, lack of technical confidence, lack of embankment, unmanaged irrigation system, chemical and physical weathering of rocks, unwanted mining, forest fire and young geological constituents of topography like, high porosity of soil, and steep land profit etc. which all are being guided by direct or indirect political s o c i o-economical and traditional (conventional) practices.

My Village

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